On Hyrule's Wings
by LittlewriterLink
Summary: Link has discovered something that could revoluntionise the Hyrulian Kingdom, along with it, he finds some interesting and strange artifcats. Zelda is also discovering her feet and is about to be crowned Queen of her kingdom till something happens one day to change her values completely and with it the very balance of her kingdom. The question is: "Will you fly or will you fall?"
1. One of our Walls is Missing

**Nintendo created all the characters and places and stuff. I just made the story up. The cover was done by Zeliga of DeviantART.**

Chapter One - One Of Our Walls Is Missing

The Tower of Spirits made a pencil thin shadow across the Grass Land, the wind calm as it brushed across the emerald blades of grass, it sounded like the rattle of a snake yet remained calm and peaceful to the people of the land. A few birds twittered in a nest made of stray sticks and straw stolen from the cuccos while waiting for their mother to return with a juicy worm for them.

Zelda smiled at the hungry babies through an arched window, the glass blocking most of the sound from their mouths but yet, the featherless creatures were still a nice break from stacks of parchment upon stacks of parchment. She turned her gaze to the feather quill in her dainty pink-gloved fingers for a moment, fiddling with it before replacing it in the black ink pot, stirring it in almost a dreamlike state.

She was bored. So very bored.

Ever since returning from her adventure as a ghostly being she had been brought back into this mundane and dull princess-to-be-queen malarkey and dear Din, there was mountains of paperwork involved. Her companion and best friend Link had got it much better; yes he was free to leave the castle at any time without escort or help when gathering materials or just fancying a trip out; he never got any backlash for it.

She sighed and leaned back in the chair, her arms outstretched over the sides; she could see Teacher, an elderly man that had been in the castle when her parents ruled licking his thumbs to turn a page in a newspaper almost as big as himself. He was a tall man with stubby little legs and feet that were not built for running; a beard that was jagged no matter how straight he wished to cut it and grey balding hair that ran around the sides of his head, he had lost most of his hair when Zelda went 'missing'. He wore a long brown shirt and darker jacket that was tucked in under his collar and a pair of glass rimmed spectacles were sat precariously on his petite, little nose.

"Are you alright, Your Highness?" he asked lowering his paper after noticing her slouching on her chair.

"Bored, Teacher." Zelda replied sitting up, taking a good look around her at her guards, each one wearing a fuzzy green hat that could be mistaken for a small bush, she wondered if the guards could even see under them. "Aren't you?"

"Your Highness, my dear, I've had enough adventure when you vanished, with Master Link downstairs, I'm surprised we have a dull moment." the man chuckled "Don't worry, Your Highness, the paperwork is only a formality."

"Then why am I doing it?!" Zelda shouted standing up from her desk so sharp the chair scraped on the floor, revealing the proud and stubborn young lady in a long light pink dress, the colour of apple blossom with a thick golden belt that was more decoration than holding anything up; she had dark almost wine coloured straps on her shoulders holding her dress up and matching gloves across her arms with the elbows stained black due to leaning on wet ink from the parchment. Her white blond hair was loose and past her shoulder blades; it was touching her waist and made a very good curtain; her ears were shell like and small, just being able to hold up the metal crown with a pink jewel in the middle to show her regal background.

The elderly man flinched a little, even for a princess, she had the potential to get angry faster than the phantoms that stalked the halls in the Tower of Spirits and according to her; she had been one at several points.

"Your Highness, the paperwork must be done, however once done, it is done for good." Teacher quivered, his knees almost knocking together.

"I mean look at this bit!" she shouted slamming her hands on the desk so that everything shuddered, the guards took a safe step backwards as Zelda lifted a piece of parchment up for the near sighted man to see. "I solemnly swear as queen, blah, blah, blah, that I am to enter competitions held by the townsfolk to demonstrate my need for fairness and kind attitudes! What is that?!"

Teacher sighed and folded his newspaper. "There is more to being queen than just ruling a country, my dear."

Zelda grunted and walked to the window, the birds on the tree were being fed by their mother, a beautiful blue bird, with black eyes and a white breast. Yes, Hyrule was made of four lands, Grass, Snow, Ocean and Fire with a bit of desert thrown in. It was all hers for the ruling. But where was the adventure in that?

"Don't you think we should expand the lands?" the princess asked, watching the bird fly away.

"At the moment, no." Teacher mumbled pouring tea into a small china cup. "You aren't a queen as of yet and have no army to do so."

Zelda gave a disappointed sigh and sat back at her desk, drumming her fingers on the surface before picking up her quill and started to write on the parchment. The guards let out a quiet sigh, their shoulders relaxing from their otherwise tensed position.

Teacher took a sip from the cup and settled back in his chair, reading the headlines on the folded newspaper.

There was a moment of silence. Only one moment.

 **Bang!**

Everything jolted; the mountains of papers came crashing down like an avalanche in all directions, the guards had made a defensive circle around the royal for their only being four of them and every bird in the vicinity had escaped into the clouds.

"Oher." Teacher coughed, his spectacles fallen into his tea.

Parchment flew into the air. "This is why I hate paper work!" Zelda grumbled pushing the papers back with the help from the green uniformed guards having being half covered in it themselves.

"What was that?" Teacher trembled placing the cup on the table and cleaning his glasses on a handkerchief.

"You said there wasn't a dull moment." Zelda chortled walking towards the doorway, to find the sheer force of the sound had managed to open the door a touch. He must have been in the courtyard. "You are relieved of your duties protecting me, men, I suggest you gather some buckets in case there is a fire."

The guards saluted, clicking their heels together before rushing outside with their spears on their backs. Zelda folded her arms with a gleeful smile, there was no way Teacher would catch her after breaking into a run. With the elderly man occupied with his glasses, Zelda took the opportunity to escape from her duties and tore down the hall as fast as her heels would let her before coming to a rather dusty and smoky corridor.

A guard, once in green uniform, peeled himself from the wall, leaving a Hylian shaped stamp on the wall. Now, the only part of it that wasn't covered in dust from old cement or the odd grey brick. Zelda took one look at the coughing guard as he got his bearings back and then peered through the giant hole in the wall, or walls as is more appropriate.

Some kind of explosion from a small side room had managed to tear a reasonable sized chunk in the wall and neighbouring room; coupled with a small fire that had sparked on the desk thanks to it being sprinkled with papers like snowflakes and all the walls were plastered in black soot, excluding anything that had unfortunately been in the way of the wall.

"Just…wow." Zelda coughed stepping over some bricks "I knew it wasn't a mistake putting him in the basement, we'd have the whole castle falling down potholes! Where is he anyway?"

The guard dusted himself down a little and pointed upwards with a gloved hand. "Up there, Your Highness."

Zelda followed his finger up to the ceiling where a young man of about sixteen hung over a dusty brass coloured pole sticking out from the wall, the bright red flag that had been attached to said pole was wrapped tightly around the young man's left ankle.

"Good morning, Your Highness!" he cheerily called from the flag pole.

Zelda's jaw nearly hit the floor. "How in Nayru's name did you get up there?!"

"I'm honestly not sure myself! But hey, at least my hard hat stayed on this time!" the young man shouted tapping a dented metal hat that was clinging onto his head. Clearly his indoor voice must have gone with the explosion, Zelda thought.

"Link…" Zelda sighed rubbing her temples with a gloved hand. "Couldn't you have caused a distraction that wasn't so…violent?"

"What?!" Link replied scrambling on the flag pole as the guard tugged on the cloth of the flag. "Sorry, Your Highness, I can't hear you properly, the ringing in my ears is really loud!"

"Stop shouting!" Zelda screamed up at him as Link hauled himself over the pole in an attempt to pull his ankle from the knot it had found itself in.

"What?!" Link yelled back glancing at her for a moment.

"I'm sure you're going deaf." Zelda sighed to herself, folding her arms as she did so.

Link scrambled for a moment before losing grip of the pole entirely, leaving him swinging at the feet of the princess. He took off his hard hat and gave it a little shake then replaced it on his thick crop of bright blond hair, or at least, that's what it would have looked like if it wasn't covered in a layer of dust, soot and a few puffs of smoke like the end of a cigarette.

Zelda stared at him blankly for a few moments. When she first met him, almost four years ago, he was a simple engineer's apprentice with a quiet life of exploration from one station to the next ahead of him; yet now, he was employed at the castle as a fully qualified engineer with a…destructive…hobby of inventing.

If hadn't been covered from head to toe in soot and smoke, he would have been wearing a pair of navy blue overalls with the shiniest of silver buttons and little dove insignia on the spanner sized pockets. His feet were often in thick leather boots that went up to his knee and upon his head was a small cap, again with the dove insignia stitched onto the front, and possibly a sandwich hiding underneath.

However, at this moment, Link was not clean, presentable or the least bit tidy. Dressed in an oak coloured hard hat which was strapped around his chin and ragged, dirty overalls that had witnessed many an explosion were hanging off him.

Zelda crouched beside her friend and pulled a handkerchief from her right sleeve and wiped Link's stained face.

"Oh, so you do have a pair of eyes!" she exclaimed watching him frown behind the soot. "And what's that, now? I think I see a nose!"

"Don't patronise me, Your Highness." Link sighed in a low voice as Zelda let him clean his hands with the handkerchief. Zelda merely rolled her eyes and untied the knot around Link's ankle; letting him flop down on the dusty carpet.

Zelda leaned over him. "You seem fine." she muttered folding her arms again "Excuse me, Guard?"

"Yes, Your Majesty?" replied the dusty guard, saluting with a white-now-sandy-coloured glove.

"Can you send a message to Teacher telling him that I have been unavoidably detained?" Zelda asked turning to look at the guard in his dirty green uniform made up of a grass green tunic and thin leather belt with a brass buckle. However, he was covered in a layer of orange and grey dust; thanks to the wall crashing down on the carpet.

It was somewhat amazing how no one had been hurt.

Link picked himself up and offered Zelda her handkerchief back, which she politely refused; the guard bowed and dashed off to relay the message leaving Link and Zelda alone.

"So what caused this? This is probably your biggest explosion I've seen this year." Zelda asked kicking a small piece of brick out of the way.

Link beamed. "I've got something to show you, Zelda

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YES! OH YES! I AM BACK!

It has been over a year since finishing A Flame's Theft and due to college, work and other commitments; I have been unable to sit down and write properly; this idea has had so many changes (Mostly the title and the plot and just everything) since it first popped into my head last year, but I only started writing it a few weeks ago. Regardless, I hope you enjoy this one as most of you have enjoyed my other works. This one will be uploaded every two weeks (Don't hurt me!) as my education kinda has to come first; but we'll see.

So what's this story about? Well, if anyone can guess the refrence without using Google in the chapter title then I will give you a cake. But this story is based in the world of The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks which is Nintendo's work all the way back in 2009, it was my second game in the series I played; but it get's a lot of backlash for well, trains. THE CLUE IS IN THE NAME!

 **Chapter Two due on 29/09/15**


	2. Discovery

**Nintendo created all the characters and places and stuff. I just made the story up. The cover was done by Zeliga of DeviantART.**

Chapter Two - Discovery

The pair of them entered through into the soot covered workshop through the giant hole in the wall; Zelda could see where he had stood at the point of explosion because of two skid marks on the floor, the same shape and size of Link's feet, one of the only clean places in the entire room; the only others being where something had been blocking part of the wall like blueprints, letters and blackboards as well as under tables and shelves.  
Link dusted his desk down slightly so that the soot fell to the floor and darkened his hands further to show a table covered in old, stained newspapers with remains of an old clockwork owl toy on it.

"Is this the source of the explosion? This tiny thing?" Zelda exclaimed taking her gloves off to examine it in her smooth hands.

"I'm surprised it survived, actually." Link muttered waist deep in a chest; the contents of which was unharmed and pulled out a small piece of ragged cloth tied up with a piece of string that was starting to fray at the ends. "This is the cause."

Zelda watched him undo the string on the small bundle to reveal a tiny cylinder object nestled within the fabric. Link held it between his thumb and index finger.

"What is it?" Zelda asked intrigued; she'd never seen anything like that before, this small black and silver object had enough power to blow a chunk of wall away? She would have to see it for herself.

"I was buying my coal stock for the month down Goron Mines when a huge explosion filled the mines with fire and smoke." Link explained, carefully placing the object on the table. "We found these to be the culprit. We're not sure what to call it."

"And you thought it was a wise decision to bring it here?!" Zelda screamed gesturing to the hole in the wall.

"In fairness, I was being silly." Link laughed picking up the owl toy. The expertly crafted wooden feathers were a little singed and sooty but otherwise unharmed.

"Elaborate?" Zelda mumbled watching him fiddle with it.

"You see, Zelda." Link began turning a small key that was sticking out of the back of the owl before placing it on the desk. "The mechanism of the owl works as such: I've turned the key which winds up the gears in the wings and legs, an engine if you will." he explained as the owl staggered across the table with large, open strides; stopping every so often to flap its wings on brass hinges and send small particles of soot in most directions. "When the charge from what I've given the owl through the key here, runs out, the owl will stop moving."

Zelda watched the owl halt in its tracks as if he had rehearsed the entire speech. "I know that." she said "What's that got to do with the object you found?"

Link scratched his nose "In short, Zelda, if the owl is attached to something that can give a constant source of power, similar to the coal engine on my train, then the owl could move on its own without need for me to constantly power it up."

"Why?" Zelda asked "If the power to create this kind of destruction comes from that tiny thing, why use that thing to power up children's toys? Wouldn't that get rid of the fun?"

"Aim smaller, Zelda. Hyrule wasn't built in a day." Link reminded her. "Once I can control this object working little, somewhat harmless things, I can get bigger."

"I see. I'll let you get on with the clean-up then." Zelda huffed, unsure why Link was so excited about this find. In one sense she could understand; when the Goron's came to them explaining that they had found a material that is like stone but burns like fire, King Daphne's Hyrule IV thought that they had gone barmy. But in actual fact, what the Goron's had found was coal and now over 150 years later, was a well known and well sought for substance along with other metals that the Gorons had discovered such as iron, bronze, brass and gold; no wonder Link spent a lot of time with the finders of metal.

"After I've finished cleaning up, I was going to head to Goron Mountain, fancy a road trip, Zelda?" Link questioned, pulling her from deep thought.

"Oh, I can't, Link, I have paper work." Zelda spoke quickly, perhaps too quickly for her mind to realise what he had said. "Wait, what?"

"A road trip? To Goron Mountain?" Link repeated pulling out a dusting brush and spade from a draw under his desk; one that had been clearly well used due to the discoloured handles.

"I can clear my timetable tomorrow." Zelda replied cheerfully. Link twisted his face, the very mention of a trip outside the castle and she was ready to throw everything aside.  
"Are you sure?" he quizzed biting his lip.

"Of course, it's been ages since I was last out." Zelda remarked waving goodbye to the mess and well, mess.

Link folded his arms still with brush and shovel in hand; Zelda and himself had an agreement to act as their social classes in times of company but alone, could address themselves as friends but he imagined she would not forgive him for destroying her walls.

He set to dusting the soot and throwing it in the bin along with anything that was burnt or ruined to the point of unrecognisable then he moved into the hall to pick up any stray brick he could and toss that in his almost overflowing waste bin before heading outside to borrow a wheelbarrow from the gardener to shift the larger rubble and dump it in the freight car on the back of his train.

He worked solidly through the afternoon; aiming to shift most of the rubble; it was only after Teacher offered him a cup of tea after passing his office for the umpteenth time did he rest for a moment.

"Milk or lemon?" Teacher asked pouring in the brown liquid into a white china cup decorated with pink and blue flowers; all hand painted with a steady brush. Link stood looking lost in the centre of his office, his arms fixed to his sides so not to dirty anything with his dusty hands.

"Um…milk please." Link replied looking around the small office that also served as Teacher's living quarters. There was a small sofa and cosy armchair made of thick orange leather with a glass coffee table between them; the legs of which were made out of brass; on top of the table was a stack of newspapers, Link was unsure why the man needed them all but decided not to question it. Behind the sofa was a bookshelf with large books that seemed to be making the middle of the oak wood shelves sag and dip in the middle. There was a door slightly ajar behind the oak wood desk Teacher was making tea on where he could see a neatly made bed with a small candelabra stood on a chest of draws on the right hand side.

The clink of the spoon against the china cup brought him back to attention, making him stand up smartly as if he were a soldier on duty.

"I would invite you to sit, Master Link, but I fear for the fabric of my seats." Teacher laughed coming around to hand Link the cup of tea and sitting on the arm chair to face the young man.

"Its okay, Teacher, Sir, I don't really mind." Link replied casually sipping the tea in the centre of the room.

"Would you like a biscuit or a bun? I imagine you haven't had your lunch yet." Teacher asked picking a chocolate covered biscuit off a plate on the glass table.

"No, thank you, Teacher, Sir." Link said shaking his head. "I've eaten while I've been busy."

"I see. Well then, Master Link, I'm not that good with small talk so I'll be upfront." Teacher began lying back in his chair. "We've not had the chance to talk about Her Highness's coronation and I was wondering if I may enlist in your services."

"In what way, Teacher, Sir?" Link asked standing on the opposite side of the table, Teacher gripped his cup in fear Link would sit down.

"Just call me 'Teacher', Master Link, if you would." Teacher sighed. "There are a lot of guests from all parts of the country that have been invited and your train is suitable transport to bring them all up here."

Link nearly dropped his tea "Teacher; that is a huge job you're asking of both me and my train. My passenger car can only carry twenty people and a further 5 that stand; add all their luggage and any hazards on the rails and that is a disaster; plus, the amount of coal and wood I would use in traveling to and from stations would clean my pocket and my rations out quicker than a bunny can hop!"

"Calm down, Master Link, I have arranged the funding for the expedition to be paid to you when you give me the numbers. Plus, for each trip you make a further 250 rupees will be added to your pocket. Meals and any additional staff you need will be provided by us. All you need to do is drive safely." Teacher spoke calmly.

"Teacher, can we discuss this when I have cleaned up? Perhaps tomorrow?" Link asked gulping down the last few drops of tea in his cup. "You can come with me and Her Highness to Goron Mountain."

"I couldn't intrude, Master Link." Teacher said as Link placed his cup on a table mat.

"I insist Teacher. This will give us a chance to confer with Her Highness and speak matters with the Goron Chieftain about the coal usage." Link pressed heading for the door.

"Very well then. I will get the staff to pack a picnic for us all and arrange the time tables with the guards to protect Her Highness." Teacher said with a smile.

"No need." Link laughed "I know my way around a sword and the Gorons hold both myself and the royal family in high stead. There's nothing to worry about. I'm the sensible one."

The land was quiet. Peaceful. The sun was heading to pass over the peak of the Mountain of Fire. It was getting to that temperature where even the birds do not fly, a dangerous time to be driving on the tracks.

"You're the sensible one?!" Teacher yelled over the screech of a train whistle.

"Your Highness, slow down!" cried Link as his train veered around a corner haphazardly, the wheels screeching against their tracks in effort to stay rooted. Steam erupted from the engine and funnel, coating the route behind in a neat, thin mist; the horn echoed through the rocks and stones that surrounded the tracks, rumbling when the speeding vehicle passed them.

"I agree with the boy, Your Highness!" shouted Teacher over the happy hooting of the horn "Please slow down!"

"Zelda, you're going to burn the engine!" screamed Link pushing a window down and sticking his head out, keeping a leather gloved hand on his hat that was perched on his head. His eyes widened with the speed that his precious train was going at and more to the point, who was driving. The train and its carriages took another sharp turn causing the young man to lean far out of the window; his hands grabbing the rim with all his might in effort not to fall and begin to roll like a boulder down the mountain.

"Hang on, Master Link, I've got you!" Teacher wailed jumping off his seat in the carriage; he grabbed the young man on his belt and pulled him in, both of them landing in a heap on blue patterned carpet that ran up the centre of the isles. Both he and Link gasped for their breath.

"Thank you, Teacher." Link sighed placing a hand on his heart. "I owe you one."  
"You can owe me it now by getting Her Highness to stop this vehicle!" Teacher whined brushing a hand over his head. "I'm starting to feel queasy!"

Link nodded hoping that he wouldn't have to clean vomit off the floor any time soon. He had had his fair share of rough rides and twisted tracks, but even he felt a little green at this one; he knew Zelda was just having fun, but if she continued her 'fun' then they would have to walk home.

That is, if they had legs to stand on at that point.

Link made his way to the door, a glimpse through the circular window told him that the Princess while focused in steering and gear changes, had completely neglected to watch the tracks, there were dead end stations, other trains and pedestrians crossing the tracks without heed to the warnings placed on the sides of the tracks and the letters that had been sent to every town proclaiming that people need to be aware of this.  
Link thought to himself, he'd rather wipe vomit off the floor than have to scrape a windswept person off the windscreen.

He staggered around for a few moments as the train turned a corner, causing his little feet to struggle on the wood flooring while pulling the handle of the door to open it. Gale force winds greeted him as he stepped out onto the edge and jumped towards the engine room; while only a small gap, he still didn't like crossing between the carriages and engine room while moving. He grabbed onto the handles on the walls and shouted over the din of the horn.

"Zelda! Please! Teacher is going to be sick!"

"Oh, hi, Link!" the one named Zelda giggled feeding more coal into the fire from a pile they had been to get from the Dark Ore Mine after dropping off the remains of the wall Link had blown up. "This is fun, isn't it?!"

"No!" Link half chuckled, noticing in the direction they were heading, straight into the Fire Temple, and at the station was a dead end. He quickly shoved Zelda forward and locked the small hatch that allowed coal to be thrown into the fire with his foot while both hands pulled on the brake.

"What are you doing?!" Zelda roared fighting with him to keep the train going, "We're fine!"

"No, we're not fine!" Link argued grabbing her cheeks in his hands and turning her head to look out of the windscreen, her face turned white. Link jammed the brakes on, hearing his train wail and scream on the tracks drew his ears back against his head, but the engine didn't stop "Keep your hand on the brake!" he ordered dashing back into the carriage and pulled a yellow handle that was locked up to the wall by the door.

Without a moment's hesitation he twisted the lock and pulled the lever back as far as it would go. The train made a move as if it were going to leap off the track but thankfully, it came to a grounding halt in just under a nauseating thirty seconds.

Link leaned his head on the wall and groaned.

"Master Link, maybe it-" Teacher began.

"Don't say it. I won't let her drive again." Link breathed hearing Teacher vomit on his floor.

Nice start to the morning as always.

 **00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Chapter Two is here, we're still getting into full swing.

Who can guess the chapter refrence there? It's even harder than last time, but I've left you a clue in the chapter somewhere. The answer to last time was refrencing Disney's own: One of our Dinosours is Missing (1975) Yeah...I watch old movies.

I don't think Zelda should drive...there's a reason for that now. What do you think of Link's discovery? Could it be used for something more than clock work toys or is he jumping the gun a bit? Is he messing with something dangerous?

 **Chapter Three will be uploaded on the 13/10/15**


	3. The Rock Dwellers

**Nintendo created all the characters and places and stuff. I just made the story up. The cover was done by Zeliga of DeviantART.**

Chapter Three - The Rock Dwellers

Zelda dusted down her frock, a nice light blue dress that swept the floor with the royal crest on the front. She wore a jewelled crown in her head that ran over her ears and kept her long golden hair from getting in her face. Sitting up; she smirked at the men.

"It was only a little over the speed limit." she smirked her cheeks rosy.

Teacher was the first one to speak, his elderly body still shaking in his brown tail coat. "Your Highness, I don't think that was a little over the speed limit."

"I have to agree, Zelda." Link shrugged pushing the brake back up and locking it to the wall "We took those corners way to fast. We almost lost the cargo."

Zelda threw her hands up into the air "You take corners fast! Remember the dark realm? Turning was harder than this!"

"I'm also trained in engineering and have spent the last few learning how to drive this girl." Link argued patting the steel rims of the silver wheel. "She's a good little engine and I would prefer you didn't break her."

Zelda rolled her eyes and jumped onto the hot ground in her boots, looking out towards the horizon, Teacher followed her, his back arching slightly as he walked.

"Will you be alright on your own, Link?" Teacher asked turning on his heel upon hearing Link open the front of the steam engine only for it to hiss angrily in his face.

"Yes. I'll be okay, stretch your legs." Link replied with a wrench in his mouth.

As much as Zelda had drove his poor wooden train to almost breaking point, he had often made trips to the Temple of Spirits to learn how the spirit engine worked, there had been no engine in that train, so why it produced steam, he wasn't sure, none the less, he continued to tighten small metallic bolts and cool the engine down by leaving the flaps open that made up the front. He checked the wheels for damage and made his way to the cargo hold at the very back of the train; the little wooden carriage still carried what they had been to the Gorons for: metal. He was hoping to reinvent trains and while he had seen many metal ones, he hoped to make it so that the engines did not run out so quickly. Good drivers understood not to over use them, but very few did, some pushed them over the limit and had to wait for rescue.

He began to tidy the mess he and Teacher had made while being thrown around in the back and took a bucket from the open cupboard with a scrubbing brush. He knew he would have hard luck finding water in the Fire Realm; so his best bet was to travel down the mountain and home to clean Teacher's vomit from the carpet. He replaced the bucket and headed outside just listening to the sound the wind made when it hit the still rocks. How beautiful it was. He could hear the eagles cry over head in the clouds, one of the few places unexplored and sighed. Despite the heat and merciless sun, this land was peaceful; the people were hospitable and loyal to the Crown of Hyrule even though they had their own patriarch.

Link lifted the overturned picnic basket from the seat Teacher had been sitting on and tossed the food that had fallen out of it before checking the ropes on the dark ore that the Goron's had ordered for Goron Village in the fright cart, having dumped the stone from the castle wall there, he'd managed to get 50 rupees off plus a ten percent discount for being a constant customer at the mine.

He quickly circled the train a few times like a dog before it sleeps, one hand touching the smoothed oak wood and strong iron that made the basic frame of his train's beauty. The iron shone in the sun as did the sparkling clean square windows in the passenger car; the red curtains of which flopped over the windowsills of the open windows. He continued to walk up the train, stopping at a tall piece of machinery that was a cannon; a towering piece of kit, silver and blue in colour, had enough firepower to kill a monster dead within one glancing shot, pockets of air would send projectiles skyward in an arch so it was pretty hard to aim while moving but if anything got to close, there was nothing a sword couldn't handle. Finally, the engine itself had a long chimney that sent up puffs of white smoke that was made of black steel and thick planks of oak wood; two panes of glass acted as a windshield and two large candle lamps hung above the iron buffers with cones over them to range the light.

Zelda fanned her hand while looking over the horizon; Teacher left her side to come next to Link who was leaning against the passenger car with his arms folded as if her were in an old western movie; even to the point where his hat was covering his face, well…almost.

"Sorry about your carpet, Master Link." Teacher sighed "I'll pay for the cleaning."

"No need, a little soap and elbow grease will do fine." Link mumbled without turning his gaze.

"Shall we speak further on-" Teacher began but Link sliced the air with his hand to silence him; Link's large, pointed ears swivelled around.

He marched up to the engine blew the whistle, allowing steam to erupt into the sky like a volcano, calling to the Princess back to the train but instead of hearing their slow, royal taught footsteps, he head the rolling sound of rocks or more to the point, Goron's that don't know how to use the brakes.

Link fell over backwards upon the literally rock hard person colliding with his stomach with such a force that the pair of them continued to roll down the mountain.

"Sorry, Brother! Are you okay?" squealed a young voice coming to Link's aid as he lay there like a starfish, winded and gasping for air. A little stone hand was offered; small stubby fingers took his own slender and not to mention fragile fingers that could easily be broken in a Goron's grip.

"Ow." Link whined standing up; rubbing his stomach and flexing his fingers once the stone person had released him.

"Link! I heard your whistle, is it time for us to be picked up to come to the castle?" the yellow stone person giggled as another even smaller one joined him.

"No, not for a few weeks. I blew the whistle to signal the Princess back to the train." Link informed patting the young Goron child on his head in the small patch of hair he had. Both the children looked like little yellow boulders, very similar to each other yet the likely hood of them being related was very slim; they were both strong enough to be able to lift both him and Teacher together if they chose to. The taller of the two had a rough back covered in a thin layer of granite stone so it made his back, the backs of his arms and legs and even the sides of his face grey in colour while the other had a thick layer of obsidian over his back which was smooth and shiny. The pair of them had rapidly blinking brown eyes that looked like two little pieces of coal on a snowman and white marks that looked like swirls of smoke over their plump, pot-bellies.

"Aww. But I was looking forward to seeing the stone castle!" the taller Goron complained stamping his little stubby feet into the ground.

"I wonder what it tastes like." muttered the smaller one. "Don't you wonder that, Guzoglu?"

"I dropped off some wall that fell yesterday at the Dark Ore Mine. Speaking of which, we should head to the village before it disintegrates in this sun." Link spoke walking back to the train. "There should be some left if you'd like a taste, boys."

The Goron's beamed at him as they made their way to the rails only to spot the young Princess standing in the door way of the carriage. Both, unsure what to do; curled up into a ball with their heads low.

Zelda smiled "Rise, boys."

"We're going to taste some of your wall!" the smaller Goron clapped. Zelda shot Link a perplexed look.

"The Princess doesn't want to know about the wall, Rezo." Guzoglu sighed "We're looking forward to your congratulation."

"My what?" Zelda asked.

"Your congratulation. Will there be food?" Rezo quizzed grinning a toothy smile.

"I don't know what you mean." Zelda mumbled fiddling with her hair.

"I think these young men refer to your coronation, Your Highness." Teacher explained "Hylian is not their first language."

"Teacher's right, Your Highness." Link agreed "All Gorons learn Hylian in this country but Gorons have their own language too called 'Gon-Gon-Goro'."

"Oh." Zelda murmured. "It's not till the end of the month, but yes, there will be food catered to you all."

"Goody!" Rezo clapped.

"You like rocks, right?" Zelda asked.

The Goron's looked at each other with a puzzled gaze: "What kind?"

"What?" Zelda coughed.

"I like a bit of sandstone, when I went on holiday to the beach, I ate loads!" Rezo exclaimed.

"Personally, I like a little bit of granite with cement dressing. We can't eat puddings for every meal." Guzoglu sighed.

"I hate to interrupt, Your Highness, but I do have an order to fill." Link coughed pointing towards the melting ore in the freight car.

"Oh, sorry, Link. Let's go." Zelda squeaked giving a quick curtsey to the Goron's who began to roll away down the mountain.

Link closed the engine up and started to shovel coal into the fire. While Zelda and the Goron's had been chatting; he'd been scanning the dusty landscape; any monster with sense knew not to attack a Goron, more so a rolling target but there was something odd about the silence the atmosphere had. Normally the rumble of the winding rivers of lava and grumbles of the volcano would be enough to say all was well.

But no matter how carefully he had studied the landscape, something niggled him and it continued to do so till they arrived at Goron Village station.

Link was the first to jump off; making sure his train was safe and unable to move before allowing Zelda and Teacher off. The little village was already buzzing with life; two little Goron children, one namely a girl with short brown hair tied up in bunches at the back of her head and a smaller boy with a thin layer of silvery slate were chasing down some fire dragonflies; named solely on their colour thankfully.

An adult wandered by carrying a sleeping Goron on his back in a little sack; their steps slow, steady and gentle even though they towered high over Link. Another pair of adults were chatting or more to the point; squabbling over a piece of iron that had had a bite taken out of it. There were a few Goron's housecleaning as he followed Zelda and Teacher up to the patriarch's hut past a large cloud of dust made by an elderly Goron swinging a pole with feathers attached to it; her husband looked terrified.

A huge Goron, the colour of clay emerged from a hut built into the side of a salmon coloured hill made of stone; the only plants being strands of orange and yellow grass, alive and well, yet looking long dead in the unforgiving sun.

He took huge, ground shuddering strides without making a sound on tiny feet supporting a huge stomach that was tattooed with huge white circles in thick lines like old war paint, his white hair was braided in bunches at the back of his head and his beard was parted in the same way, allowing a pair of pursed rocky lips to squeeze together. He had thick, bushy eyebrows and dark hazel eyes and wore nothing but a few brightly coloured bracelets on his wrists and ankles. His back was a mixture of black basalt and brown tuff that had been smoking since birth; so the air around his back was a misty cloud.

"Brothers! Sister!" he exclaimed beating his chest with his fists as two Goron's with slate on their backs pushed the freight car into a shady corner.

Link crossed the short distance towards him and thumped his chest with closed fists once so not to hurt himself and exchanged a hug that nearly crushed his ribs. Zelda did not get the bone crushing hug, she got a bow and took one of the Goron's fingers to shake; it was obvious that the Goron patriarch was trying to be polite.

"Good afternoon, Gonok-Nortri." Zelda spoke softly. "It's nice to see you."

"No need with the formality, little sister." Gonok-Nortri replied. "Would you care to come inside out of this heat and have a drink?"

Teacher spoke first; sweat was making what was left of his hair stick to his head. "I would love some tea!"

Zelda giggled. "I agree with Teacher."

Link brushed a layer of sweat off his forehead with a smirk. "I guess I could."

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So close to not getting this uploaded on time, so damn close.

Homework has been my top priority, I'm doing my best.

What do you think Link is looking for? Will something happen? I went a little deeper with how Goron's look; I love detail. What does brick taste like I wonder, every story I write seems to have them in. I think they're cute.

 **Next upload: 27/10/15 (Hopefully)**


	4. The Soup and Horror

**Nintendo created all the characters and places and stuff. I just made the story up. The cover was done by Zeliga of DeviantART.**

Chapter Four - The Soup and Horror

Teacher closely inspected his clay cup; a beautiful pastel orange with a blue swirl around the rim; and picked out another small stone that had found its way into the murky liquid within.

 _Never ask a Goron to make a cup of tea_. He thought while placing it on the low table in a matching saucer and moved around uncomfortably on a pillow.

Gonok-Nortri's home was a three room cave dug into the mountain, the walls decorated with roots of trees breaking through the soil above and patches of fresh herbs in small plant pots made of red clay; the floor was a mosaic of patterned rugs with huge bobbly tassels that were dyed yellow and pillows were arranged like a fort in the corner of the room, partly blocking off a back exit that lead to an alter near the mouth of the volcano in the centre of the small village. The left room served as a little bedroom, small holes being carved out of the walls and filled with thin blankets and pillows and the right room served as a living room and kitchen; of which Gonok-Nortri was finely chopping some orange grass with a piece of sharp stone; adding to a simmering pan of stew over a low burning fire while chewing on a frying pan that was missing part of the handle.

"Hot stew." Gonok-Nortri spoke dishing out some finely crafted bowls of clay and spoons made of pure silver; one of which had a hand shaped dent in it, to his friends.

"I thought you just ate rocks." Zelda said stirring the stew around her bowl on the low table.

"We actually have a varied diet of rocks, metals, gems and grasses; Your Highness." Gonok-Nortri replied pouring out a bowl for Teacher.

"So what's this?" Teacher asked adjusting his spectacles on his nose.

"Snurglar stew with fresh, wild sun grass and deku baba flower heads." Gonok-Nortri said cheerfully; handing a bowl to Link who started to gulp it down instantly. Teacher chewed his lip; growing up in Hyrule, he'd never had…exotic food such as this; the recipe sounded hardly calculated.

"You'll enjoy it, Teacher." Link reassured moving closer to the paling man. "Snurglar's are rich in flavour and the deku baba adds a little spice. It's not a hot stew but you feel a warmth inside your throat when you eat it."

"Master Link, do you mean to tell me, that you can vouch for this meal?!" Teacher squealed as Zelda spooned some of the stew into her mouth.

"Of course. I created it." Link giggled.

That was enough to make Teacher faint.

"Oh dear." Zelda mumbled into her spoon. "I think you've overwhelmed him."

"It's probably the heat." Gonok-Nortri shrugged lifting the elderly man's head and placing a cushion under it. "I remember a few years ago that you'd faint often around here."

"Yes." Link sighed; "I was too focused on my mission at the time with the Princess."

"A dark time for the Hyrulian Kingdom." Gonok-Nortri agreed shaking his head and running a stone hand through his hair. "How is the land to the south west?"

"Quiet." Link mumbled lowering his cutlery. Zelda and Gonok-Nortri looked at him. "Perhaps too quiet at times."

"Is something bothering you, Link? You've gone grey." Zelda commented watching her friend's ear's tuck under his crop of hair.

"Gonok-Nortri, has there been any problems on the rails around here? There was an unnerving silence around the volcano." Link asked locking eyes with the Goron Elder.

Gonok-Nortri thought for a moment. "Now that you mention it; there haven't been many animals roaming the mountains lately."

Zelda bit her lip. "It was quiet in the fields this morning when I went for a walk with Teacher."

"Strange." Gonok-Nortri mumbled stroking his beard in thought. "I'll have some scouts on patrol shortly. I recommend asking the Anouki and the people of Papuchia Village to do the same."

"You suspect something?" Zelda squeaked, jumping up and upsetting the table.

Link flopped forward on the table to steady it. "I think it would be wise to do so."

"I do, Sister." Gonok-Nortri grumbled "The Goron Tribe and all its siblings are in this together."

"There are other Goron Tribes?" Zelda asked inquisitively, settling back onto her cushion.

"Of course, Sister." Gonok-Nortri said smiling. "They are many miles across the sea. But I was talking about our sibling communities; the Anouki Tribe to the north-west and the Hylian Kingdom to the south are our strong Brothers and Sisters."

"Oh. I see." Zelda answered. "I'll send guards to explore the fields tonight."

Link stood. "If I may be excused, I'll go and warn the people at Papuchia Village of the current situation."

"Don't get yourself worked up, Link." Gonok-Nortri said softly. "I don't think it's wise to jump to conclusions yet."

Link grumbled and looked out of an arched window carved in the wall. You could see the Tower of Spirits faintly in the distance. Everything seemed fine. Even if there was something to happen, his adventuring days were still new and talked about in the many little villages and towns scattered around the four lands, new generations were taking up his name and Zelda had made it official that when she took up her crown, her first act would to be to decorate him with a knighthood and a place in Hyrule's history.

"Brother?" Gonok-Nortri spoke placing a large hand on his shoulder. "Everything will be fine."

"I still worry though." Link muttered taking his eyes from the window.

After Teacher regained consciousness; they said their farewells to the Goron's and headed back over the rails towards home. Link had remained quiet for most of the trip and had made the train move quiet as a mouse during its trip; both Teacher and Zelda could see that he was wary of something but decided against asking him and just let him be alone with his thoughts.

They came to a halt at the sky scraping Tower of Spirits for a moment to let the engine cool down. Link blew some access steam away using the horn so that a gigantic white cloud escaped from the chimney. Zelda gazed upwards into the darkness above them from a train window; the ceiling was so high that it could not been seen from the ground floor. The walls were made of solid brick as were the floors, with four solid iron tracks coming from the arched doorways, each one connected to a turn table in the centre of the room.

Link stood at a long stairway that cascaded around the hexagonal walls, listening out for the quiet whistle of the wind and the clattering of armoured ghosts in the rooms from the stairway.

He heard nothing. The deafening sound of nothing was going to drive him mad.

"Link?" Zelda spoke over the silence, Link jumped as if he had been stung by a giant wasp.

"Yes, Your Highness?" Link gasped, lowering his head to relax himself.

"Dusk is upon us. Shouldn't we head home?" Zelda offered. "We can talk about the silence in my office."

Link gave a nod and came back into the engine room; quickly stuffing more coal in the fire and shooting off on the correct track to the Forest Realm. Back home.

Dusk was upon them when they arrived at Hyrule Station. Link turned the train into a siding and locked it away in a shed Zelda had had made for him; similar to Alfonzo's work station near the coast; Link sometimes missed Alfonzo; he'd taken him in as a child and trained him as an engineer apprentice.

He took a small white sack with a sandy coloured patch covering up a hole in the bottom and slung a scabbard over his shoulder; the scabbard was tanned brown and made of a thin leather with reinforced steel keeping the shape; sheathed inside was a polished steel blade with a yellow hilt made of thick woven rope and leather with a small blue sapphire on the end for minimalistic decoration.

Link opened the engine to let it cool faster and stepped outside, pulling the doors closed with frustrated grunts and groans as they refused to move along the metal grooves they were stuck into.

"This accursed door." he muttered tugging on the handle, the stones under his feet slid around underneath him till he slipped and sent multi-coloured stones flying in all directions. One hit something with a dull thud in the bushes behind him. His ears pricked up as he stood up fully to inspect whatever he had hit and it was not pretty.

Through the bushes stared a pair of angry red eyes between a forest of brilliant white feathers and the sharpest of beaks. Link chewed his bottom lip and quietly pulled the bush branches back over the poultry horror and turned, his feet barely making a sound as he tip-toed back towards the door.

The cucco screamed.

Link threw his belongings inside so that they skidded on the floor by his beloved train and hurriedly pulled at the doors to close using all the strength he could muster till it shut with a satisfying slam. Outside he could hear the furious clucks of the cucco's just on the other side of the door and see their unblinking gaze from a small window by his desk, each one a copy of the last.

He breathed a sigh of relief, he would have to wait them out.

With the door closed; the room was dimly lit; the floor made up of cobblestones covered with a few dirty rugs. His train was settled and cool on a set of rails with a buffer at the end of the room and beside a small window no bigger than his arm in length was a little desk covered in sheets of paper, some covered in Hylian script, others scattered with numbers and measurements.

Link pulled a stool out, letting it squeak across the floor which made him pin his ears back; that sound always went through him and yet he did not learn. He tapped a finger against his lip, surely there was some way to make this easier; this little stool was dragged around the room so much that it was marking the cobblestone and tearing the ends of the rugs.

Surely it wouldn't be possible.

Link picked up the little stool and with a single swipe of his arm threw all the papers and pencils that were on the desk to the floor. The legs of the stool were sturdy enough and just wide enough to take a couple of screws. He opened a chest that was in the corner of the room under a coat peg and heaved out a small log of oak wood and a tool box.

He opened a vice that was clinging onto the edge of his desk and retrieved a small copping saw from the tool box. He sawed through and quickly started to shape the piece of wood into a sphere using sandpaper and his saw to the best he could.

He made four of them, each one of equal size and weight before making a small handle to go around each one and attach to the stool legs. As he did this, he saw the sun was beginning to sink below the horizon and the cucco's were still at his window so he lit the engine to stay warm. With a screwdriver he attacked the sphere balls to the handle with screws on either side then attached the handles to the bottom of the stool.

He got to his hands and knees, the stool was perfectly balanced. He gave it a slight push.

The stool zoomed across the floor and remained upright till it hit the door.

Link whooped and sat down on the stool, pulling it around with his feet giggling like a child as it spun around.

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Sorry it's a little late, driving test and exams, you understand.

Link invented the spinning chair. This is fact now. Also, cucco's just place themselves wherever they'll be most useful; didn't you know that? The lands are to quiet, what's gone? What's going to happen?

 **Next chapter: 24/11/15 (At latest)**


End file.
